bobinson



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) P. O. ROBINSON.

GAME BOARD AND SEGTIONAL STAND.

Patented Feb. 9,1886. 2 1

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. O. ROBINSON.

VGAME BOARD AND SEGTIONAL STAND.

No. 385,775. Patented Feb. 9, 1886 Ina/(922721. (574/ M N, PETER$ Phclo-Lillvagrnphcr, Washington, 0. c.

Warren Sra'rns Parana @rrrcn.

FRED. C. ROBINSON, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

GAME=BOARD AND SECTIONAL STAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,775, dated February 9, 1886. Application filed November 7, 1885. Serial No. 182,119. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED. (J. RoBiNsoN, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game-Boards and Sectional Stands or Supports Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

I have devised a new game which combines certain elements of billiards and croquet, it being played with balls and cues, like billiards, and wickets being employed, as in croquet. The game is essentially one of angles, and I have therefore termed it Angulatum.

The object of my invention is to provide a board on which the game may be played, the board, if of small size, being adaped for use on a dining or other table, and also to provide a stand or support on which the board may be properly supported, if it be of comparatively large size, and which may be readily taken apart and packed for transportation, and as readily set up for use by the purchaser.

The invention will be hereinafter described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of a gameboard embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is aplan of the stand or support. the board being removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the end and side legs, showing the mannor of connecting the horizontally-extending side portions with them. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on theplane of the dotted line on 00', Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a transverse sec tion on the plane of thedotted line y 3 Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the game-board, which is of lozenge form, or in the form of two triangles 40 joined at their bases.

For convenience in transportation I prefer to make the board of two portions meeting along the dotted line :0 w, and connected by hinges a, so that the two portions may be folded parallel with each other. At the middle of their length the two portions of the board A have applied to them battens or cross-pieces A, to prevent their warping, and at the ends of the board A are divided blocks A, which prevent splitting of the end portions of the board. A A are attached the hinges a.

The top of the board A may be covered with To the pieces baize or billiard-cloth, and has formed in it two end pockets or recesses, 1) b and two side pockets, b b, which are protected at their fronts by guards 11*.

Fixed in the board A are wickets c c c c c c c c, which are arranged as shown in Fig. 1, and which may consist of metal hoops or arches, or of pairs of pins or pegs inserted in holes in the board.

hen the board is of small size--say from three to five feet in lengthit may be placed for playing upon a dining or other sufficiently large table, and to avoid scratching the sur face thereof the pieces A A may be covered on the lower surface with baize or plush.

WVhen the board is of compartively large size-say from six to nine feet long-I prefer to support it upon a special stand or frame, which isso constructed that its parts may be conveniently taken apart and packed for shipment, and may be very securely connected to form a rigid stand or frame when the board is desired for use.

For the stand or support I employ two end legs, 0, and two side legs, 0. These legs are connected by longitudinal and transverse stretchers or crossbars D D, and by side pieces, E. The transverse stretcher or crossbar D has at the ends tenons d, which enter mortises d in the sidelegs, O, and are therein secured by screws (1. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The side legs, 0, have recesses or grooves (P out in their tops to receive the ends of the cross bar or batten A on the board A, and as best shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The longitudinal stretcher or cross-bar D is fitted to a notch, d, in the transverse bar D, and secured thereto by a screw, (Z and its ends are secured by screws (1 to the top of the end legs, (J. The side pieces, E, which are four in number, are secured by screws 0 to the legs 0 O, and to the tops of the end legs, 0, are secured by screws 6 blocks 0*, which are notched at e to receive the ends of the longitudinal stretcher D. These blocks 0* are also notched at e to lit the side pieces,E,which are reduced in width at the end portions, and the blocks are flush with the main portions of the side pieces, and overhang or lap on the end portions thereof, which are of reduced width. As shown in Fig. 2, the blocks (3 and the stretcher D have recesses or cavities e" in their upper surfaces, which receive the hinges a of the board A when the latter is placed thereon, and the board may then be secured by hooks f on the stand or frame, engaging eyes f on the under side of the board.

When desired to take apart the stand or frame for transportation, it is only necessary to take out the screws 6, which secure the side pieces, E, to the legs 0 G, and the screws d cP (P, which secure the longitudinal and transverse stretchers to the end and side legs, 00, and to each other. The whole stand or frame is thus separable into ten parts, which, being straight-,may be conveniently packed for shipment. 7

To hold the cues g for playing, when they are not in use, I have represented a rack, E, which may be suspended below the board A in the stand or frame, and I have also represented in Fig. 4 boxes 9, attached to the-end legs, 0, for containing the balls designed for playing.

I will now describe how the game may be played, which may be done by an even number of persons-two, four, or six--divided as equal partners. To play the game I employ six balls of one color and six of another color for the opposite sides, and two starters, which may be readily distinguished from the other balls. The two parties play from opposite ends of the board, each party toward his right, and the game consists in shooting each ball through all the wickets and coming back to the starting-point at the pocket b or b Each player must drive his own ball or balls into the end pockets, b b, in his travel, and will try to drive his opponents ball into the side pockets, 1) b We will suppose, for convenience, that the game is played by two persons. To determine the choice of shot a ball may be placed at the center of the board it and the two persons shoot from opposite ends of the table through the wickets c 0*, and the one whose ball passes nearest the ball at the center has the choice of shot. The party having the first shot then places one of the starter-balls at the spot in front of the wicket 0, and placing his own ball near the pocket I) he attempts to pass through the wicket c and hit the ball at If he fails to hit the ball at his opponent plays in a similar manner from the end of the table at which is the pocket b and through the wicket c. In case the first player passes through the wicket c and hits the starter-ball at he then continues to advance the balls through the wickets c, '0, 850., in succession, the starter-ball being always played upon with the other ball. After the player has advanced his first ball through the first two or three wickets he will generally pass his other balls one after another through the wickets c, c, &e., and in this way will attempt to carry the balls all around the board, passing intothe pocket I) and bringing each ball back home to the pocket b. The opponent will of course play from the pocket I) toward his right hand, and will bring his balls home again to the pocket 21 Each ball so driven around the board counts one, and the game may con sist of any number of pointssay from fifteen to thirty. Hence it will be seen that it is desirable to retain as many balls as possible. If you accidentally drive your own ball in a side pocket, I) b, you forfeit one play; but if you drive your opponents ballin a side pocket it must be taken from the board, unless it is a starter-ball, in which latter case the person to whom the ball belongs may remove any one of his other balls from the board and place the starter in the same position on the board. The starter-ball can never be driven from the board so long as you have any balls left.

The game is won if you first succeed in re turning thirty or other predetermined number of balls to the pocket from which you started, or succeed in driving all your opponents balls from the board.

In lieu of employing screws for securing the several parts of the stand together, I may em-' ploy pins or other devices which would be the full equivalent of screws.

I do not claim, broadly, as of my invention a table or stand having four legs, and crosspieces or stretchers detachably secured to said legs and to each other at their point of intersection. In my stand I also employ side pieces, E, for connecting the legs, additionally to the stretchers D D, and which consist of four plain and straight pieces of wood, which, with the legs and stretchers, may be made into a very compact bundle for transportation.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I l. The game-board herein described, lozengeshaped, or in the form of two triangles united at their bases, having at the ends the pockets 2) b and at the sides the pockets b b protected by guards 11*, and also having wickets, arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The folding game board herein described, divided longitudinally, and provided on its under side with the pieces A A to which hinges are applied, and having on its surface end pockets, 1) b ,andside pockets, bb protected by guards 6*, and also having wickets, arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. In a sectional stand, the combination of end legs, 0 O, and side legs, 0 O, the longitudinal and transverse stretehers D D, respectively connecting the legs 0 O and the legs 0 O, and detaehabl y secured to said legs and to each other at their point of intersection, the four straight side pieces, E, secured to the outer sides of and connecting the legs, and the top or board A, supported upon and made separate from the side pieces, E, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination of the end legs, 0, the

side legs, 0, having mortises d, the cross-bar D, having at the ends tenons d, fitting the mortises, and secured therein by screws d, the longitudinal bar or stretcher D,secnred to the crossbar, and having its endssecured by screws (1 to the end legs, and the side pieces, E, se cured by screws to the legs and connecting them together, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination of the side legs,0, moriised at d, the crossbar D, notched at cl, and provided with tenons cl, fitting said mortises, and secured therein by screws (1, the end legs, 3, the longitudinal bar D, secured by a screw, d, to the bar D, and by screws d to the tops of the end legs, the side pieces, E, secured to the outer sides of the legs, and reduced in width at their ends,and the blocks 0 secured to the tops of the end legs, 0, and notched at e 6 to receive the ends of the bar D, and to 20 fit the corresponding ends of the side pieces, E, substantially as herein described.

6., The combination, With the end and side legs, 0 O, the latter being grooved or recessed across their tops at (P, and the stretchers D D 25 and side pieces, E, connecting the legs, of a game-board corresponding in shape to the stand or frame and provided at the bottom With a batten or cross-bar, A, the ends of which are received in the grooves or recesses 0 d, and securing devices for holding the board upon the stand or frame, substantially as herein described.

FRED. G. ROBINSON.

WVitnesses':

O. HALL, FREDK. HAYNES. 

